Get rid of GTP Protective partition so I can backup Windows 7?

Suggestion.

Firstly, you have to do some housekeeping on your computer system.

Remove most HDD(s) out of your computer system, and use USB enclosure boxs.
This is avoid if something go wrong with your system, especially using multi- systems.

For Backup, go for Professional backup system.
Since you mentioned the importance of your system and program.

As for Free software, there are no proper Support should anything happened.
Even this &or others, forums users may not be able to do the proper job for you. (had to say this)

Finally, do you have any Professional Security and even a tiny malware can do much damages on not only your system partition, but also other HDD(s).

Your Win 7 was installed as Legacy-MBR and it didn't create any GPT partition.
If you read the articles that I gave you the link, you will find that it was MAC OS who created the GPT Protective partition.

Are you sure Macrium Reflect Free cant make a partition (not disk image) image of the C: drive partition?

Thank you for your input Eric.

Eric3742 said:

Suggestion.

Firstly, you have to do some housekeeping on your computer system.

Remove most HDD(s) out of your computer system, and use USB enclosure boxs.

I have backups for everything that's on every drives except the C: system drive...

My workflow is copying files from a backed-up NAS to the internal drives, processing and then backup back to another NAS (which itself is backed up as well)

I keep these processing drives inside because I am dealing with process intensive material and I try to avoid adding any source of failure between the processing drive and the system, such as faulty USB/esata/Thunderbolt/whatever cable/controller/driver/enclosure which happened to me some times when I was using external enclosures.

Eric3742 said:

For Backup, go for Professional backup system.
Since you mentioned the importance of your system and program.

As for Free software, there are no proper Support should anything happened.
Even this &or others, forums users may not be able to do the proper job for you. (had to say this)

I totally agree with you on this. But I have to find the proper software (the one that will work) before paying a license for it. I assumed Windows Backup service was able to do the job but it doesn't look like it according to the various answers I got here.

Eric3742 said:

Finally, do you have any Professional Security and even a tiny malware can do much damages on not only your system partition, but also other HDD(s).

Of course, I'm so paranoid with that believe me I got super secured regarding this matter and I do run scans with multiple software on a regular basis. :)

Megahertz07 said:

Your Win 7 was installed as Legacy-MBR and it didn't create any GPT partition.
If you read the articles that I gave you the link, you will find that it was MAC OS who created the GPT Protective partition.

I just saw the link and I really can tell you that MAC OS didn't create that partition, I didn't even have a mac disk on this machine in the first place, and certainly didn't set up any time machine as it is mentioned in the link you provided as the cause of a GPT partition.

Megahertz07 said:

Are you sure Macrium Reflect Free cant make a partition (not disk image) image of the C: drive partition?

Yes. Still, are you saying that because whenever I find a solution to that problem, let say delete that GPT protective partition and Macrium would eventually work, it would be a better solution than that Driveclone software?

Ok, months have passed, I am still in the same situation.

Can anyone please help me sort & fix this?

This post starts out answering a question that is missing